Month: November 2016

Let me start off by saying that I am not in the habit of discussing matters of political or religious nature on this blog.  I find those two topics to be highly volatile.  People have such strong opinions on such things, that it’s rather difficult to find some kind of common ground.  When it comes to politics, however, some things happen that I need to address.  As many of you know, the 45th President of The United States was elected on November 8.  Donald J. Trump came in and won the required amount of votes to become President.  Everybody is aware of Trump’s brazen remarks regarding, well….EVERYTHING have not been politically correct.  A lot of the stuff that he’s been spewing kind of made people think he was a joke.

Myself, along with many people all over the world, were not expecting Donald J. Trump to win at all.  Some people thought Hillary Clinton was going to win in a landslide.  It was real close, but Trump managed to beat the odds and make history.  Whether or not that is a good thing, only time will tell.  But, like many people, I was left reeling when I found out, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.  My initial reaction to the news was one of anger and hatred towards my fellow countrymen for allowing something like this to happen.   I did not vote for Trump or Clinton.  I knew that the candidate that I chose was not going to win, but I made my decision regardless because I felt it was the right choice to make, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.  That being said, this was probably the nastiest and most contentious Presidential campaign I’ve ever seen.  The news with all the white supremacist groups coming out to vote for Donald Trump was disheartening but not entirely unexpected.  Then you start hearing about voter intimidation at the polls with people being threatened.   It got very, VERY ugly.  That being said, during the outcome of the election, Trump, Clinton and Obama were very gracious about the election.  Trump made some very generous and kind remarks about Clinton and her service to this country, which was pleasantly surprising.  Obama even called Trump to congratulate him on his win.  There is graciousness in defeat, but how far that will go when Trump gets inaugurated in January remains to be seen.

What this election has shown is that the system that we have in place isn’t working right now.  Trump said that the elections were rigged.  That’s not entirely inaccurate, from my perspective.  Why?  The Electoral College.  It’s broke as shit.  Instead of actually voting for a person, we are voting for “electors” for the college.  Each state gets a certain number of votes based on the population of said state.  Here’s the thing:  The majority of people actually voted for Clinton.  So….why the disparity between what the people voted for and what the Electoral College voted for?  It’s simple, when you vote, you are essentially participating in a popularity contest, which Clinton has clearly won.  This election has proven to people that the Electoral College is broken at a fundamental level, and the only viable option, I feel, is to eliminate it entirely.  So…does your vote actually matter?  If you’re voting blue in a red state, then no, your vote doesn’t matter to the college.  If you vote blue in a blue state, then it does matter.  Does this mean you shouldn’t go out and vote?  Not remotely.  You absolutely should vote if you are able.  It is your right, and quite frankly, your civil duty to do so.  You may not take an interest in politics, but politics involves you no matter where you are or what side of the political spectrum you are on.  When you vote, you’re speaking your mind.  You become a part of the process and a system that is been in effect for over 200 years.  Whether your candidate wins or loses is almost immaterial.  What matters is that you spoke up.  If you don’t vote, you forfeit your right to complain about the system that you complain doesn’t represent you.

For those of us that were taken by surprise by Donald Trump’s win, you have to realize that politicians, specifically presidents, have a 4 year shelf life.  They are not elected to be permanent unless it’s a seat on the Supreme Court.  This country has survived many things including bad presidents.  We, as Americans, are a resilient bunch and we will bounce back, and we will bounce back HARD.  So what, if Donald Trump is president for the next 4 years?  What I see is a one-term president who won’t be back for seconds.  What this election has given us is an opportunity to take stock of what has happened, what has been said, and what is to come.  We are already seeing protests of the election across the country.  What that means is that the people, particularly the 18-25 crowd are sick of the system being so “botched.”  Does this all mean that Trump will be a bad president?  Not necessarily.  He very well could be a good president, and we, who voted against him, could be wrong.  It’s entirely possible.  Trump’s win was completely unprecedented and unexpected, so ANYTHING is possible.  I have been pretty vocal to friends and family about how I felt about this situation, but I think, nay, I hope that this presents a real opportunity to change things for the better.  I think people need to take a step back, breathe in deeply and think about WHY this happened.  We are headed into an uncertain future, that’s for sure, but maybe we can learn from the mistakes that were made in this election so we can avoid them in the next one.

Released: November 2016

Director: Scott Derrickson

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 115 Minutes

Distributor: Disney/Marvel Studios

Genre: Fantasy, Action

Cast:
Benedict Cumberbatch: Doctor Steven Strange
Chewitel Ejiofore: Baron Mordo
Rachel McAdams: Christine Palmer
Benedict Wong: Wong
Tilda Swinton: The Ancient One
Mads Mikkelson: Kaecilius
Benjamin Bratt: Jonathan Pangborn
Scott Adkins: Lucian/Strong Zealot

I have a confession to make:  This is the first time that I’ve been to the cinema in months.  After a disappointing summer blockbuster season, and getting bombarded with one mediocre movie after another, Ghostbusters just killed the season for me.  It wasn’t awful, but it was the latest in a string of disappointments that made me stop going to the movies for a while.  Even though the movies for the holiday season held promise, I was still wary of what I was going to encounter.  Star Wars has its first spin-off movie next month, Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge was just released as was Marvel’s latest film, Doctor Strange.  It was Doctor Strange that made me go back to the movies again, and how.  It seems to me that the holiday seasons have some of the best movies of the year.  Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, Doctor Strange.

The film begins as a neurosurgeon, Doctor Steven Strange prepares to operate on a patient.  Shortly after, he’s brought into another surgery where a patient needs to have a bullet removed from his brain, and the only person that could do it is Strange(pun DEFINITELY intended).  After getting dressed for a speech that he’s attending, he’s driving along a mountainside when he’s distracted by a phone call send him careening over the edge.  Waking up in the hospital, Doctor Strange discovers that his hands have been severely damaged in the car wreck and is unable to perform any surgery whatsoever.  Falling into despair, Strange discovers a way that he might regain the proper use of his hands in the Far East.  After reaching Kathmandu, he meets a mysterious monk, Baron Mordo, who takes him to see the head of his particular order, The Ancient One.  After being shown that magic does exist, Strange begins training in the mystical arts, unaware that a threat from a former student, Kaecilius has returned to destroy the world.  The story is simple and straight-forward.  It IS an origin story, but it’s a rather important one in the MCU(Marvel Cinematic Universe).  Doctor Strange is one of the most powerful beings in the MCU, so discovering where he comes from and how gains his powers is a necessary detail.

I have to say, this movie surprised me.  It really did.  The acting is really compelling here.  Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange is a no-brainer.  He is to Doctor Strange as Robert Downey, Jr. is to Tony Stark.  He was made for a role like this.  He does a fantastic job of portraying an excellent but arrogant neurosurgeon, who ends up losing the use of his hands.  We feel his anger and desperation.  Then we get to him meeting up with The Ancient One, where his world suddenly opens up.  Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Baron Mordo, and is simply fantastic.  Ejiofor is awesome in everything that he does.  Mads Mikkleson as Kaecilius is awesome.  While his character is certainly evil, Kaecilius wasn’t always that way, but he felt lied to by The Ancient One, and struck out on his own.  Mikkelson is a great actor, but he definitely brings a surprising amount of humanity to his character and gives him a reason for what he is doing.  This guy is powerful, too.  He leads a group of “Zealots” who are on a quest to bring the evil entity known as Dormammu to Earth.  His performance is really good and he handles the physical aspects of the character just as well.  One Kaecilius’s henchmen is Lucian, played by Scott Adkins.  Scott Adkins is a martial arts actor known for movies like Undisputed II and Ninja: Shadow of a Tear.  He knows how to play a bad guy, even though he’s not the main villain.  He’s fun to watch.  His physical prowess is impressive.

What is also impressive are the visual effects at work.  Normally, I wouldn’t even consider telling you to go see a movie in 3D.  It’s generally not worth the price of admission.  With Doctor Strange, however, I must insist that you check out this movie in 3D.  The scale is unbelievably impressive.  Especially when The Ancient One basically sends Strange on what appears to be a major acid trip.  It is one of the most visually impressive movies I’ve seen in a while.  My mind was completely blown when Kaecilius begins to manipulate the environment around him.  It does have an Inception kind of vibe to the whole thing, but it still way cool to see.  Also: Doctor Strange’s cape is awesome.  It has its own little personality.  My only complaint with the visuals is Dormammu himself.  Not terribly impressive, I have to say.  He looks like a big cartoon.  Although, I should be grateful they didn’t turn him into a giant evil cloud.  The action is awesome.  Some of the fight scenes are very well choreographed, especially when Scott Adkins is on the screen.  Benedict Cumberbatch is more than up to the challenge, physically.

Since this film is an origin story, it makes sense that it sets up for another film, and I’m sure they’ll get to it.  But what we do know is that Doctor Strange is not only going to show up in the next Thor film, but he is going to be a major part of the next Avengers film.  It makes sense, really.  Strange is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel comics.  He’s not your typical superhero, because he has to deal not necessarily with physical threats, but rather the mystical ones that the Avengers wouldn’t be able to handle.  I’m very curious as to what they do next with the character.  I really love this movie, it’s one of the best comic book movies this year.

Final Score: 9/10.  This one is definitely worth checking out in 3D.

Released: July 2016

Director: Justin Lin

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 122 Minutes

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Genre: Science Fiction, Action

Cast:
Chris Pine: James T. Kirk
Zachary Quinto: Spock
Karl Urban: Leonard McCoy
Zoe Saldana: Uhura
Anton Yelchin: Chekhov
John Cho: Sulu
Simon Pegg: Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
Idris Elba: Krall
Sofia Boutella: Jaylah

For decades, Star Trek has and still is a foundation for solid story telling.  For good storytelling, you need good and memorable characters, and Star Trek has provided those for 50 years.  The characters of Star Trek are so ingrained in our pop culture that everybody knows them, even if they haven’t seen Star Trek.  Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Scotty, Chekhov and Sulu are some of the most iconic characters ever conceived.  The original series did things that nobody ever thought possible and it pushed boundaries and ideas that few people had seen.  We all owe this to the legendary Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek.  For 50 years, the crew of the starship Enterprise has entertained audiences world-wide and become a part of our collective consciousness.  Through several TV series and 13 movies, we have experienced a fictional world where humanity has become united.  Star Trek has always been optimistic about our future as a species and the hope that we can work together for a better future.  As a result, Star Trek is one of the most influential and popular franchises in the world, because it speaks to so many people on so many levels.  So, for the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, director Justin Lin and Paramount Pictures released Star Trek Beyond, the third entry into the rebooted franchise starring Chris Pine.

Star Trek Beyond opens as we see Captain Kirk attempted to be a diplomat between two species that seem to be at war with each other.  After unsuccessful negotiations, Kirk returns to the Enterprise and they head towards a massive space colony called Yorktown for some much needed shore leave.  Shortly after they arrive, an unknown vessel enters their sector with an apparent survivor of an alien attack.  Alarmed at this new development, Captain Kirk volunteers to search for the survivor’s missing crew in uncharted space.  Shortly after exiting a rocky nebula, the Enterprise comes under attack from a mysterious, yet extremely violent alien race.  With the ship disabled and the crew being captured by Krall, the leader of the alien invaders, it’s a race against time for Kirk to find his crew and escape the planet.  As far as stories go, this one is pretty standard fare for Star Trek.  I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, it’s not.  It’s simple, easy to follow and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  The problem is for most people, it’s nothing they haven’t seen before, in Star Trek or any other science fiction film.  That’s really the only downside to the story.

Characters have always been at the heart of Star Trek, and this film is no different.  We are all familiar with the original crew of the Enterprise: Kirk, McCoy, Spock and the rest of them.  Beyond gives a couple of new characters this time around that are pretty memorable.  The first is the film’s villain, Krall.  This guy commands an entire “swarm” of tiny ships that devastate the Enterprise.  He’s looking for an ancient weapon that will help him achieve his vengeance against the Federation.  There’s a lot to this character that isn’t revealed until the end, so I won’t say anymore.  The other addition is Jaylah, a new alien lady that is strong yet vulnerable.  She has this innocence about her that is really compelling, and yet she’s not afraid to take on the enemy with her impressive fighting skills.  Idris Elba is an amazing actor, especially if you’ve seen shows like Luther.  He’s got this astounding presence that’s really hard to match.  His performance as Krall is astounding.  Elba knows how to play threatening characters.  Sofia Boutella plays Jaylah and she’s great.  She’s physically capable of handling herself in the role.  Her character’s relationship with Simon Pegg’s Scotty is wonderful.  Jaylah is a mechanic/engineer of sorts, so that gets the attention of Scotty and they become a team.  Everybody else is definitely on point.  Chris Pine IS Kirk in the new movies.  Zach Quinto is great as always, with Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban and Zoe Saldana delivering equally strong performances.

With Justin Lin taking over the director’s chair from J.J. Abrams, he infuses the film with his own unique visual flair that’s also consistent with the other films.  The action is intense.  Krall’s attack on the Enterprise is really engaging(ha!).  It shows how outmatched the Enterprise really is.  While the film has it’s slower moments, they aren’t bad at all, and actually add to the sense of urgency that the film is trying to get across.  That’s also why the film is only 2 hours long.  You’ve got to make it exciting while still making the audience care about the characters.  There’s some really good stuff that happens on the planet surface too.  There’s gun fights, and there’s a pretty decent motorcycle sequence that’s exciting.  The visuals in the film are absolutely stunning, especially when you get a good look at the Yorktown space station.  Wow.

With all that being said, the film does suffer from some drawbacks.  It definitely borrows elements from other Star Trek films, like Star Trek III.  This isn’t the first time the Enterprise has been destroyed, but it doesn’t have the same emotional impact that the destruction of the ship had in Star Trek III.  While I definitely like the main villain, his motivations for what he does aren’t explicitly clear, not even at the end of the film, so you’re left wondering why he was doing this in the first place.  As far as Star Trek villains go, Krall doesn’t even come close to Kahn.  Very few villains do, though.  He’s still better than Dr. Soran from Generations, that’s for sure.  Aside from that, it’s a perfectly decent film.

Now, two actors had passed away prior to the film’s release.  Leonard Nimoy, who played the original Spock and had appearances in the last two films, passed away during the writing process for Star Trek Beyond.  They wrote in a nice little tribute scene for his character.  It was a very touching moment.  The other one, Anton Yelchin, was tragically killed in a car accident.  He had finished his scenes in the film before he died, so had one last completed film.  Sadly, he died before the film’s release, so he couldn’t see the final film.  I think he and Leonard Nimoy would have been very proud of the film.  Nimoy was a legend in the film industry, and Anton Yelchin was getting really good, so it’s a shame that neither of them lived to see Star Trek Beyond fully realized.  I think it’s a fitting tribute to both actors and is a very solid and enjoyable entry into the franchise.  I personally recommend it.

Final Score: 9/10.